“Ah! Lady Flanders.... But—well, go on!”
“Lady Flanders said,” continued Fillmore, fixing his eyes in a marked way on Perdita, “that Mrs. Lancaster had felt herself grossly injured by ... a person from whom she had every right to expect different treatment, and that, in her distress and defenselessness, she had accepted Lady Flanders’ proposal to make her ladyship’s house her home for a few days.”
“Really, Mr. Fillmore, a less charitable man than you might say that Lady Flanders had assisted Mrs. Lancaster to run away from her husband.”
“Supposing Mrs. Lancaster to have had that intention,” replied Fillmore coldly, “the general opinion seems to be that her husband had spared her the necessity.”
“How do you wish me to understand that?”
“That Philip Lancaster had planned an elopement on his own account.”
“Positively, you amuse me!” exclaimed Perdita, gazing at him intently. “Are you going to add the inspiration of a prophet to your two other professions? Tell me, with whom has Mr. Philip Lancaster planned to elope?”
“If you need to be told that,” replied Fillmore, after a considerable pause, “there is nothing to tell.”
The Marquise smiled. “Ah, Mr. Fillmore,” said she, “you are not so clever a man as I thought! Mr. Lancaster came to me two nights ago; he was very tired and hungry, poor fellow; he had been hunting his wife over London, and seemed to think she might have taken refuge with me. I consoled him as well as I could, and sent him away. I have not seen or heard of him since then. Unfortunately, I was not in a position to give him the comforting information I have just heard from you. I am surprised that Lady Flanders, who seems to be such a friend of homeless wanderers, had not given him his wife’s new address. He told me that he had spoken with her ladyship that very afternoon.”
“I know nothing about that,” said Fillmore, whose sombre aspect had lightened somewhat during this speech; “but I found Mrs. Lancaster at Lady Flanders’ house: she went with me to see Bendibow, and afterwards I accompanied her back to Lady Flanders’. She seemed to be in a very low and anxious frame of mind; and there can be no doubt that she has been with Lady Flanders ever since she left her own house. As to the suggestion about Mr. Moore, I have the honor of that gentleman’s acquaintance, and I could easily convince Mr. Philip Lancaster that he has no cause for misgiving on that score.”